Gifts

Valentine’s Day is upon us and whether you’re in a relationship or single, everyone loves a good wine night with girlfriends to celebrate (or hate on) this slightly controversial holiday. In my mind, the perfect Galentine’s Day celebration is getting together with my closest friends, ordering take out, baking (and devouring)these brown butter chocolate chip skillet cookies, sipping on a glass or two of rosé and watching a rom com.

I think it’s always fun to bring something small for each of your friends at a Galentine’s Day get-together and this adorable matchbox is the perfect little gift! It seriously screams Valentine’s Day and it’s special enough to be displayed on a coffee table in any home or apartment. It’s also perfect for this type of occasion because you can buy one for each of your friends without breaking the bank! Just show up to your Galentine’s Day celebration with these cute little matchboxes for each of your friends + a bottle of wine and you’re golden! PS – I made this Galentine’s Day gift guide last year in case your want some more gift ideas!

I seriously LOVE monthly subscription boxes. Like I think I have an addiction…I subscribe to a box that sends me a sh*t ton of stationery every month, for goodness sake. It’s kind of my thing.

Well, exciting news people. POPSUGAR sent me their Must Have Box for September and I am seriously obsessed with it! For one, the packaging is adorable. It looked so pretty I almost didn’t want to open it. Spoiler alert: I ended up opening it and let me tell you – it was chock full of the best goodies for fall. It has an adorable hat, a fancy shmancy lint roller (because you can never have enough of those), a deep conditioning hair mask, and even a pack of gluten free chocolate coconut bites (yaaas so on brand). For the full lineup, you can go here. Basically, if you can’t tell, I’m a big fan of the Must Have Box!

More exciting news – you can use the code Shop5 to get $5 off of your first Must Have Box and great news – the code will never expire! Just use this link to visit the site and order your box. I promise you won’t regret it!

This last week has been crazy and I haven’t have time to post! I took a trip with three of my best friends to Texas and was seriously on cloud nine. It was my first time visiting Texas and it definitely did not disappoint! We spent the weekend exploring fun neighborhoods, drinking, shopping and eating {with an emphasis on eating}. Some of our favorites of the trip were Pecan Lodge in Dallas for amazing BBQ {we legit ordered five pounds of meat}, Truck Yard in Dallas for drinks and a fun outdoor vibe, Torchy’s Tacos in Austin for the best queso, guac and tacos and Perla’s in Austin for a yummy boozy brunch {their homemade pop tarts were the best}. It’s back to reality though!

I have a fun little crafting project for you ya’ll {still in that Texas state of mind} that I’m excited to share! It is a DIY wrapping paper that is perfect for wrapping presents or wrapping up a bouquet of flowers! It’s also prime for Mother’s Day, especially if you want to put a little homemade touch on a bouquet of flowers. You only need a few things to make it!

Materials

Wrapping paper of your choice {I used a brown paper}

Lemon or lime

Acrylic paint {you can use whichever color you would like. I went with a gold color}

Paintbrush

Steps

Slice the lemon or lime in half and allow to dry out at room temperature for 4-5 hours.

Cut out a large square of wrapping paper {adjusting the size based on how big your bouquet or present is}.

Pour the paint out on a paper plate and use the paintbrush to apply the paint in a thin layer on the flesh side of the lemon or lime.

Stamp the lemon or lime onto the wrapping paper in whichever pattern you would like, making sure to re-apply paint to the lemon or lime as needed.

Allow the wrapping paper to dry. This should take about an hour but it depends on how thick your paint is.

Use the wrapping paper to wrap your present or your bouquet of flowers and tie with pretty ribbon + a gift tag!

I love love love succulents. I think they are such a fun way to add life to a room and there are so many different varieties to choose from!

When I learned that succulents are super easy to take care of, I decided I NEEDED to get one. I have a tendency to kill plants pretty quickly {because I’m super busy, not because I’m a horrible person I swear!}, so I thought that succulents were the perfect solution for me…right? Wrong. Initially, all was going well with my first succulent. I was watering it according to the instructions I found online but because it required so little maintenance, I honestly forgot to water it consistently week over week. Fast forward a few weeks later to my poor shriveled up little succulent.

The good news out of all of this is that I have a cute and easy solution for people who are both good and bad with keeping plants alive…faux succulent plants!

These days, you can find awesome faux succulents at your local nursery and they look just like the real deal {probably because even real succulents look almost fake!}. This cute little DIY is super easy and it makes the perfect little gift! I love to give these little planters as a host/hostess gift or as a thank-you to a friend! They are inexpensive and so much fun to put together.

I am all about a store-bought valentine {especially when there’s candy involved}, but now that the elementary school days of exchanging valentines in class are over, I like giving homemade more “adult-ified” valentines to my friends.

This year, I went with something that was super easy and cute and the best news is that it didn’t break the bank!

This idea can be totally customizable depending on what type of candy you like, but hopefully this gives you some inspo.

Here are some other cute candy taglines you can include in your note if you don’t want to give Reese’s Pieces. The notes are catered toward friends, but you can obviously cater them to work for your sig other too!

Mints: We were mint to be friends

Almond Joy: It’s a joy being friends with you

Now and Later: I want to be your friend Now and Later

Milky Way: I’m the luckiest friend in the Milky Way

Extra Gum: You’re an extra special friend

You get the idea…

Here’s how to make these cute valentines!

Materials

Gift tags {I made my own using a cute heart-printed paper and a tag punch tool}

Black pen

Colored pen {pink or red for v-day!}

Mini Mason Jars

Reese’s Pieces candy {or your candy of choice}

Cute twine or ribbon

Hole punch {if your gift tags don’t already have a hole in them}

Directions

Write a cute note on your gift tags that relates to the candy you’re using. In this case, I wrote “I love you to pieces,” alluding to the Reese’s Pieces candy. Write the bulk of the message in the black ink and make sure the candy-related word is written with the colored pen {extra brownie points for also writing the word in a different font!}.

Fill each of your mason jars with the candy and tie your twine or ribbon around the lip of the jar.

Punch a hole in your gift tag, string the twine or ribbon through the hole, and tie to secure the tag.

I absolutely love the gesture of making gifts for the holidays rather than braving the Black Friday crowds. Don’t get me wrong, buying holiday gifts is never a bad idea, but if you find that you have some extra time on your hands and really want to make someone’s day, these candles are the cutest!

You don't need a candle making pitcher for this craft - you can also melt the wax in a glass bowl over a double boiler but just as a warning, you will be scrubbing candle wax from your bowl if you use one of your own. They're only $10 on Amazon and it is well worth it!

Ingredients

1 lb soy wax shavings

Candle making pitcher*

1 oz. candle scent of your choice

Old or cheap wooden spoon*

Votives or really any small vessel you can use to fill with candle wax {I got 6 copper votives}

8 Wicks

Pair of sharp scissors

Bells, cute twine, gift tags, etc.

Instructions

Pour the soy wax shavings into the candle making pitcher and place in a pot of simmering water with a cookie cutter in the bottom of the pot to elevate the pitcher so that it isn't making direct contact with the pot. Stir occasionally with the wooden spoon until fully melted and the temperature reaches 150 degrees F. Turn off the heat and pour in the scent of your choice. Stir until combined and allow wax to cools to 125 degree F.

Carefully fill the votives with the wax until about ¾ of the way full. Carefully lower the wick into the votive, making sure to adjust so that the wick is in center of the candle. Sandwich the wick between two of the wooden skewers and lay the skewers flat across the top of the votive. The skewers will ensure that the wick doesn't get misplaced in the votive as the candle is solidifying.

Allow the candles to set overnight, or for at least 6 hours. Once fully set, cut the wick to ¼ inch with your scissors and enjoy!

I like to wrap them in festive paper pouches with cute twine and festive holiday bells + pine!

*You don't need a candle making pitcher - you can also melt the wax in a glass bowl over a double boiler but just as a warning, you will be scrubbing candle wax from your bowl if you use one of your own. They're only $10 on Amazon and it is well worth it.